Best New Toy

So it seems that SHR telling me that I shouldn't get an iPhone was just her way of setting me up for an excellent early Hanukkah surprise.

Out with the old and in with the new.
I've had my new iPhone for a week now and I become more obsessed with it each day.

My old phone served me somewhat well over four years. But it was time to march forward into the future. The glorious glorious future.

The next two purchases that will hopefully arrive before the twins - a Blu Ray player and at least one iPod dock. I can't change multiple diapers without some tunes.

I Am Not Efficient In Writing About Music Anymore

But here are some reviews anyway.

The Baseball Project - Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails, 2008
How could I not like this? Power pop songs about baseball. Yes, please. I couldn't stop listening to this over the summer. Is it that great? Probably not, but I like it a lot. There are songs about Curt Flood, Harvey Haddix (my favorite song on the album), Jack McDowell palling around with the Smithereens and flipping the fans off, a song about Fernando in Spanish, the fun times go on and on.

Laura Cantrell - Trains and Boats and Planes, 2008
Welcome back Laura. Her last album was overproduced dullsville. This LP of covers of songs about different modes of traveling always put me in a good mood.

Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue, 2008
Unlistenable. Wtf?

Sloan - Parallel Play, 2008
After the first 6 songs, you'll be calling this the best album of the year. Then it slows down the pace but rebounds at the end. These guys have got some hooks.

The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines, 2008
So dirty. So good. Personally, I think I like King Khan a bit more when he's with BBQ Show but this album still might be one of my faves of the year.

No Age - Nouns, 2008
Not as infectiously fun as their debut collection of singles, etc. but still pretty good. I had this LP on my iPod during this year's baseball trip. I hadn't listened to the album before the trip. Every time a song came on, it happened to be one of the little incidental noise interludes so I thought this whole album was going to be like that. Both Marc and Erik made fun of the No Age songs that popped up while on the trip. It turns out though that the album as a whole is pretty good.

Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool, 1978
Stone Groove was right. Nick Lowe is the Man.

She & Him - Volume One, 2008
Calling your first album Volume One is almost as pretentious as calling your first Greatest Hits album Volume I in the way that Hall and Oates did back in '84. That band only had one more big hit after that arrogant move. No matter though. I don't care what SHR says. I really like this LP. Zooey Deschanel is cute as a button to look at and to listen to. I like her voice, I like the originals, I like the covers, I like the M. Ward.

Red Sticker Collection
The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms, 1980
Soooooooo good. How did I go until 2008 without hearing this masterpiece? Smithereens might have been lackluster as a movie but it did get me listening to this CD. I'm kind of obsessed with this LP now.

Jackson 5 - ABC, 1970
These kids just might have a future. They're good.

Clapping Lady!

There are often many characters in our usual section at Shea Stadium on Sundays. I wonder what will happen to them next year. Will I never see Hawk Lady (Be careful, this is a video clip) again? What about the Freud Family? Who knows?

So if I never see the '08 addition to the Section 6 nutjobs, I will always have this keepsake to remember her by.

She can't fully be described. You have to see her to believe it. I still am a bit perturbed by the way she continually looks over her shoulder to check out to see if you're watching. But I'm also strangely intrigued by her. Who is she? What is her story?


While you're at it, check out the last post on my baseball blog which feature footage of the said characters referred to above. Or maybe even the previous post which features pictures and a movie of Yu Bando's first and last game at Shea.

Amelia!

On Saturday, SHR and I had the pleasure of meeting Amelia Lawrence.


Everything was fine until Chris tried to show off her Skins attire.
At the time, I thought she just didn't like the team colors. But perhaps she knew what was awaiting the team on Sunday night and was voicing her displeasure with the upcoming loss to Dallas.

Two Books I Didn't Finish, Two That I Did

Matt Taibbi - Spanking the Donkey: Dispatches from the Dumb Season, 2005
For some reason, I never read Taibbi's columns back when I actually used to read the New York Press. That was a mistake. His writing is funny as hell. I didn't read this whole thing because reading about the 2004 election in 2008 just wasn't doing enough for me. But the section on going undercover as a Bush volunteer in Orlando was a great read. Chris Larry says that his other book is even better.

Fareed Zakaria - The Post American World, 2008
This is one of those books that I was interested to read reviews of, to watch interviews about and read Op-Ed pieces by the writer summarizing the main points of the novel. I thought to myself, "Hmmmm... interesting. Maybe one day I'll read this guy's book" knowing that I never ever would. So at the end of the school year when the Head of my school gave the faculty two books for some summer reading and one of them was this book. (The other being that book by that Last Lecture dude. Has anyone read that? I haven't even bothered to watch the damn thing on YouTube.) I finally got my chance to read this. Turns out my original assumption of only needing to read reviews, watch interviews, and read a summary in the Op-Ed page was enough. I skimmmed some of this and then stopped.

Cormac McCarthy - The Road, 2006
I really liked this book - more than No Country for Old Man. McCarthy's sparse writing style works perfectly for the sparse terrifying post-apocalyptic world in the book. There are moments in this book that I can't quite shake. I almost don't want to see the upcoming movie because I don't want to see someone else's vision of this. I like the one I have envisioned for myself.

Richard Price - Lush Life, 2008
Why have I waited so long to read a Richard Price novel? This book was very good but my suspicion is that he has many other much better novels. I need to read them. This one is about the gentrified Lower East Side of the early 2000's. Obnoxious suburbanites mingle with poseurs and other assorted artistic failures. The projects are right nearby though and bad stuff happens to those too oblivious to know that they aren't still in the suburbs. One of those kids gets murdered by a project kid and this book is about the investigation - a few cops, the two witnesses, the murdered twentysomething's family. I'd love to see David Simon, Ed Burns, and Price reunite to make a miniseries of this for HBO.

It's a Great Pumpkin, Huey Lewis

Halloween might be long forgotten by now, but Huey Lewis is always worth posting about. So I'd be remiss if I didn't post this photo that Slice sent me from the photo section of his site.

Yes, that's right - a Huey Lewis pumpkin. I'm speechless. Utterly speechless.

Two Unemployed Baseball Stars Want to Get Me Drunk - For Charity

How the heck did I miss this? Eddie Murray has a wine!

This is yet another reason why Facebook is great! More More Dave Cour sent me a message letting me know about the wine. It turns out that both Eddie and Brooksie have their own wines. You know, for charity.

The wine is described as "Intense flavors of berry and strawberry glide into a lingering, rich dark chocolate finish with good tannins and accents of earth and spice. The blend includes a small percent of Estate Cabernet Franc for added complexity and spice." Sounds fantastic!

Eddie looks so damn happy. He's got to do something with his all of his free time, right?
Unfortunately, his blog remains silent. He must be majorly in the dumps after getting fired by the Dodgers last season.

If you are so inclined, check out these two television clips.

Eddie's quote cracks me up - he speaks near the end.



No Eddie but Brooksie's comments are priceless.


Definitely not scufflin' in this photo.
For more info, check here.

Announcing Double Trouble

Three years ago, I wondered what would come first in my life - an iPod or a baby. Considering that I'm already onto my second iPod, I had the answer to that big question quite awhile ago.

Now that SHR is over 5 months pregnant (with identical twin boys), the baby number will be catching up quite quickly.

But now the question I have - will SHR let me buy an iPhone before the arrival of our twins in mid March? The answer - probably not but I'm still hoping.

In the meantime, I'll be counting down to the big day and enjoying SHR's updates as The Pregnant Straphanger.

Yes!

Kristy Ojala's Facebook updates had SHR and me cracking up all night.

Enjoy.

Kristy is pulling the plug on this love train. And planning on buying every newspaper on earth tomorrow so that her cats may be enlightened when using the facilities. 1:14am

Kristy I love that after all has occurred this eve, Howard Fineman is commending Barack's "soberness." Does he even know how funny this is? 12:53am

Kristy is standing on the balcony soaking up the sounds of a very happy neighborhood. 11:47 pm

Kristy is going to buy the best bottle of American Champagne she can get on 'recession special'! 11:38pm

Kristy is now rearranging her furniture, small collection of cassingles, and tidying up for a new day. 11:07pm

Kristy is eating her fist. OMG$^^$^@!!!! 11:04pm

Kristy is wondering if McCain's AZ party is playing "Lonesome Me." Let's hope that's as far as they take the Hank Sr. refs. 10:44pm

Kristy: OK, I'm just gonna say it: I judge those who are cashing in and going to bed right now. Your sleep patterns can WAIT for, um, a f'n sec?

Kristy: David Gergen's so over this hot mess.

Kristy: Doesn't the CNN "Precision" graphic look like it was done by the same coked-out, cheesy firm that did FOX's version of "Kitchen Nightmares"

Kristy is digging the pee pee yellow and red-shirt-in-the-wash pink states map.

Kristy: Holy crap. They're already playing Hank Williams at McCain's Prozac party in Phoenix! They, get this, TURNED OFF THE NEWS.

Kristy is further enjoying that big vodka drink. Anxiety... stabilizing... 9:30pm

Kristy: Now McCain's peeing in his Depends and crying about how wrong it is the nets already called PA for Obama. Suck it, beeotch!

Kristy: I have to say, this might be the first time I've ever enjoyed watching FOX!

Kristy: As the guy at the corner store just pointed out, people are gathering in Times Sq like it's New Year's already. Goosebumps!

Kristy: My corner wine store guy just showed me how he's sweating, and everyone who came in said they needed to calm their nerves. Me too. Ahem.

Kristy: Phil-a-delphiaaa freedom! I love. Love. Love!

Kristy: I wish we were on "DVR time" so I could forward through this KY jelly bs. WHO CARES? NEXT!

Kristy: This is like my Super Bowl. I can't wait to get home and bunker down in my own 'Situation Room'!

One More Day!

Four years ago today, I wrote, "When is Obama going to run for president? We need a dynamic new kind of leader and my money is on him." Granted, I didn't really know much about the guy four years ago. I was simply excited about who he was and the newness of it all.

Over the past 18 months, we've all gotten to know him and what he believes and what he's about. And I've grown to like him more. In February, the all important official Listmaker endorsement went to Obama.

Tomorrow is the big day. Fresh off my correct prediction of the Phillies winning the World Series, I'm feeling cocky. I predict that Obama is going to win quite comfortably - like 350 electoral votes comfortably. He's run a much better campaign than McCain has run. In retrospect, it makes sense that Bush won in '04 - his campaign was much much better. McCain is not going to win tomorrow.

The only thing that worries me is that I personally know a number of Democrats/Independents who voted for Kerry in '04 who either aren't voting this time or are voting for Nader. If I know a few, what does that say about the possibility that many people will refuse to vote for Obama because he's too "slick", too inexperienced, or an "empty suit."

I voted Nader in 2000 but I won't be drinking that Kool Aid again. Sure, in a perfect world, I'd like the gov't to stand up to corporations and move more to the left. I'd love to see a viable third party develop. But guess what, that's not going to happen. At least not by tomorrow.

Go ahead sit this one out. Vote for Nader. Hell, even vote for McCain if that feels good. But while in the voting booth, I hope people at least ponder the question of what sort of Supreme Court justices they'd like to see appointed in the next few years and decide which of the two major candidates they'd like to see in the White House. Sure, Obama is way too centrist for many but you can be damn sure that if McCain is president, our country is going to move that much further to the right.

Me? I finally get my chance to vote for Obama in a neighborhood that loves him. And I can't wait.

My First Professional Soccer Game in North America

On Saturday afternoon, Dave, Jamie, and I went to Giants Stadium to see the NY Red Bulls play the Houston Dynamo (two time defending champs). It was the first game of a home and home playoff series.

I've been wanting to go see professional soccer in the U.S. for awhile now. I kept meaning to go see D.C. United but never got around to it. So the Red Bulls would have to do. 11,000 fans don't exactly fill Giants Stadium.


There was almost a fight!

The few Houston fans in attendance were quite boisterous.

I liked the chanting of the Red Bulls cheering section. The fans in the stadium were into the game but everything was a bit tepid. You just can't generate excitement in such a large venue.

Yes, they will have a new soccer only stadium next season but I doubt I'll get there much. The Meadowlands? Screw that. Why isn't there a team in Queens? Is it because the league wants more suburbanites than immigrants to come out? Or is it simply the difficulty of acquiring land in the city? Hell, if the team played in Queens, I would almost definitely go to at least 2-3 games a year. And Alex J has already named the team - the Queens Express. Apparently, this still might happen.

As far as professional soccer games I've attended, this one was much better. Maybe I'm just more of a Suwon Blue Wings fan than a NY Red Bulls fan.

One thing I can say though is that it was fun to actually get to a soccer game. Maybe this will be the year that I actually go to my first NHL game since the 80's. I'm pretty sure the last hockey game I attended was with the Jewish youth group that I belonged to in 8th grade. On the way back, we all stopped for some Slurpees and I was abandoned there with a friend. Stone Groove was not too pleased that he had to come pick us up at midnight. Don't ever rouse a sleeping Stone Groove.

The last NBA game I went to featured a Four Tops (or was it the Temptations?) post game concert.

Oh yeah, the game ended in a scintillating 1-1 tie.